“Among the many things Alexander Grant provided this company was the incredible opportunity of working with the great dance master Sir Frederick Ashton during his tenure. It was a direct contact to the British dance tradition continuing the lineage that our founder Celia Franca brought to the company,” said Karen Kain, Artistic Director. “He was a charming, humourous and sympathetic person and, on a personal note, had an important effect on my career by persuading me to stay with the National Ballet at a significant point in my life.”

_________________The world revolves around the beauty of the ballerina.

Michael Crabb is the 1st to offer up the obligatory 4 stars to a new R&J for the National; though, he did offer some criticism for the sets and costumes.

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Seasoned patrons of the company will inevitably compare Ratmansky’s new version with the one so fondly remembered and deeply ingrained. But for a new generation of ballet goers, this is the one they will come to love. It’s fast-paced, uncluttered almost to fault, and less prone to the melodramatic excesses that occasionally pushed Cranko’s staging to the edge of credibility. It even has a few minor narrative twists of its own. And there’s lots of dancing, not just for the major leads but for the whole company.

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As for Hudson’s austere sets and sort-of period costumes, opinions are bound to differ.

_________________The world revolves around the beauty of the ballerina.

Overall, Ratmansky is the king of speed and danger. Intricate footwork, dizzying spins, fast-paced leaps and lunges – luckily, the National Ballet dancers are technical wizards. Does Ratmansky thrust Cranko to the back burner? Suffice it to say that both ballets have a place in history. Cranko has the heart, but Ratmansky has the theatrical derring-do.

_________________The world revolves around the beauty of the ballerina.

November 17, 2011… The National Ballet of Canada today announced that a one-hour documentary on the creation of the world premiere of Romeo and Juliet is set to air on CBC in spring 2012 in celebration of the company’s 60th anniversary. The special presentation, titled Romeos & Juliets, is currently in production and features the creative process of internationally renowned choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, from the National Ballet studios to opening night on November 16, 2011 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Romeos & Juliets is shooting in Toronto until December 2011 and will air on CBC Television in spring 2012.

Romeos & Juliets is written, directed and produced by Moze Mossanen and is produced by Shaftesbury in association with the CBC and with the participation of the Canada Media Fund. The documentary is executive produced by Christina Jennings and Scott Garvie for Shaftesbury, with Shaftesbury’s Jan Peter Meyboom serving as supervising producer.

Romeo and Juliet runs until November 27, 2011 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto.

I’m excited about the CBC doc! I always love getting a look behind the scenes.

I saw the November 26 mat with Guillaume and Elena. Both were superb, and Elena really impressed me. She has a lightness to her dancing that was extraordinary. I’ve seen her dance before in supporting roles and she hadn’t particularly stood out, but she sure did as Juliet. She was marvellous, and Guillaume’s partnering was wonderful.

Juliet’s costumes were lovely, and the others were fine, but I found it confusing that there wasn’t a more clear marking of which corps members were Capulets or Montagues. The sets were nice, but didn’t knock my socks off.

I loved: the balcony scene; the playful interactions with Romeo, Mercutio and Whatshisname; and much of the third act, where Elena really shone. I enjoyed that Ratmansky took a page from Baz Luhrmann’s page and had Juliet wake while Romeo was still alive. I thought Elena and Guillaume acted the dramatic ending very well.

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